Standard nine refers to a teacher's ability and determination to collaborate effectively with parents. The IEP process provides amazing opportunities for parents, teachers, and special educators to collaborate. While working with a case study student, I met with her mother and her teachers during parent teacher conferences. Soon after, I conducted the COACH (Choosing Outcomes and Accommodations for Children) interview with her mother. The interview is based on a book written by Michael F. Giangreco. It is designed to help teachers get to know students better, while also identifying the areas where the family feels the student needs support. This was my first interview, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed doing it. I was grateful to know my student and her family better. The information I gathered helped to inform instruction, while also helping me build a relationship with my student and her family. Through the information I gathered, I was able to write IEP goals that met the expectations of the classroom teacher, while also meeting the individual needs of my student. My entire experience working with my student was benefited by this collaborative interview process. It informed the IEP process, as well as further adaptations and modifications made within the classroom.
Participates actively in decision-making processes, while building a shared culture that affects the school and larger educational community.
Our school is working hard to be an inclusive school where members of the Special Education team co-teach with general educators. At the beginning of the school year, and throughout the year, students have transferred to our school from other schools. Some of these students have spent their entire educational experience in self-contained classrooms with one-on-one aids. For these students, the transition to an inclusive classroom was particularly difficult. Although we tried many ways to support these students in the general education classroom, it became more evident that these students would need additional support before being ready for an inclusive classroom. We developed an intervention space where students could develop skills that will help them be successful in the classroom. It was important to me that the expectations for myself as the teacher in the room, the general education teachers, and the students be clear before implementing this plan. I met with my assistants, and members of the Administration to develop a plan for the intervention space. This plan helps clarify everyone's responsibilities while also ensuring that the space is only used for students who need it.
Advocates for the learners, the school, the community, and the profession.
I teach at a Montessori charter school. While the teachers have all had their Montessori training, I am the only member of the Special Education staff who has had training. After having completed my training and seeing the positive outcomes of Montessori education, I felt strongly that the members of the Special Education staff needed to know how to use some of the language and math Montessori materials. I started teaching my assistants how to use materials like the Stamp Game, Checkerboard, and Small Bead Frame. The materials that I teach are based on the goals of the students who my assistants work with. In this way, I am advocating for my students, while also empowering my staff and co-workers. I have included a picture of me teaching on of my para-professionals how to use the Spindle Boxes. This material is designed to help students who are learning one-to-one correspondence. Students place the number of spindles into the designated section of the tray. The material also has a self-correcting aspect. The number of spindles is the exact number needed, so if students have any spindles left over or run out of spindles, they know that they need to go back and repeat the work. At the school, I was asked to create professional goals for myself for the year. One of my goals, to support the overall school's goal of increasing student performance in math, was to teach others how to use Montessori math materials. These lessons have allowed my assistants to support the students in achieving their IEP goals while using the same materials that they have in their classrooms.